Auction apparatus, auction method, storage medium, and auction system

Abstract

An auction apparatus includes a reception unit, an item information obtaining unit, a selling information generation unit, and an auction execution unit. The reception unit receives selling request including item ID and user ID. The item information obtaining unit obtains item information corresponding to the user ID and the item ID included in the received selling request from a kept item management apparatus storing item information associated with the item ID and the user ID when the reception unit receives the selling request. The selling information generation unit generates selling information including information required in an auction for selling using the item information obtained by the item information obtaining unit in response to the selling request. The auction execution unit executes the auction using the generated selling information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An auction apparatus comprising:
 a reception unit configured to receive selling request including identification information about an item and identification information about a user who sells the item from an outside the auction apparatus;   an item information obtaining unit configured to obtain item information about an item which is owned by a user identified by the identification information included in the received selling request and which is identified by the identification information included in the received selling request from an external database which is provided outside the auction apparatus and which manages, for each user, item information about an item owned by the user when the reception unit receives the selling request;   a selling information generation unit configured to generate selling information including information required in an auction for selling using the item information obtained by the item information obtaining unit in response to the selling request; and   an auction execution unit configured to execute the auction using the generated selling information.   
     
     
         2 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein when an item sold in response to the selling request is bought, the auction execution unit receives information about a shipping destination of the bought item from a bidder, and
 the auction execution unit transmits a delivery request including identification information about the bought item and information about the shipping destination to an external management system which manages the bought item to request the management system to deliver the bought item.   
     
     
         3 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the selling information generation unit presents the generated selling information to a user identified by the identification information included in the selling request to request the user to delete unnecessary information and complement insufficient information for selling. 
     
     
         4 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the reception unit further receives a disclosure request including identification information about an item and identification information about a user who discloses the item from the outside the auction apparatus,
 when the reception unit receives the disclosure request, the item information obtaining unit obtains item information about an item which is owned by a user identified by the identification information included in the received disclosure request and which is identified by the identification information included in the disclosure request from the external database, and   the auction apparatus further includes:   a disclosure information generation unit configured to generate, using item information obtained by the item information obtaining unit in response to the disclosure request, disclosure information for disclosing the item information without allowing bidding; and   a disclosure unit configured to disclose the disclosure information generated by the disclosure information generation unit in a viewable manner.   
     
     
         5 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein when the disclosure unit receives designation of disclosure information from a user who wants the item related to the disclosure information, the disclosure unit notifies the user who disclosed the item that there is the user who wants the item. 
     
     
         6 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising a desired item information storage unit configured to store, for each user, disclosure information related to the item wanted by the user,
 wherein when the disclosure unit receives designation of disclosure information from a user who wants the item related to the disclosure information, the disclosure unit stores the designated disclosure information to a desired item storage unit in association with identification information of the user, and   when the disclosure unit receives an inquiry from the user who discloses the item, the disclosure unit refers to the desired item storage unit, and notifies a number of users associated with the disclosure information related to the item to the user who discloses the item.   
     
     
         7 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein when the disclosure unit receives designation of disclosure information from a user who wants the item related to the disclosure information, the disclosure unit stores the designated disclosure information to the desired item storage unit in association with identification information of the user, and thereafter refers to the desired item storage unit, and the disclosure unit identifies a number of users associated with the disclosure information related to the item, and the disclosure unit notifies the user who discloses the item of the number of users identified and that there is a user who wants the item. 
     
     
         8 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the selling information generation unit presents the generated disclosure information to the user identified by the identification information included in the disclosure request, thereby requesting the user to delete unnecessary information for disclosure. 
     
     
         9 . The auction apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the item information includes information about an image of a corresponding item. 
     
     
         10 . An auction method for causing a computer to execute:
 receiving selling request including identification information about an item and identification information about a user who sells the item from an outside the computer;   obtaining, upon receiving the selling request, item information about an item which is owned by a user identified by the identification information included in the received selling request and which is identified by the identification information included in the received selling request from an external database which is provided outside the computer and which manages, for each user, item information about an item owned by the user;   generating selling information including information required in an auction for selling using item information obtained in response to the selling request; and   executing the auction using the generated selling information.   
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:
 receiving selling request including identification information about an item and identification information about a user who sells the item from an outside the computer;   obtaining, upon receiving the selling request, item information about an item which is owned by a user identified by the identification information included in the received selling request and which is identified by the identification information included in the received selling request from an external database which is provided outside the computer and which manages, for each user, item information about an item owned by the user;   generating selling information including information required in an auction for selling using item information obtained in response to the selling request; and   executing the auction using the generated selling information.   
     
     
         12 . An auction system comprising:
 an auction apparatus; and   a kept item management apparatus,   wherein the kept item management apparatus includes:   a selling request transmission unit configured to transmit, upon receiving, from a user, a selling request including identification information about an item and identification information about the user, the received selling request to the auction apparatus;   an item information storage unit configured to store, for each user, item information about an item which is owned by the user and which is deposited from the user and held in a warehouse; and   an item information transmission unit configured to obtain, upon receiving an item information request including identification information about an item and identification information about the user from the auction apparatus, item information about an item which is owned by a user identified by the identification information included in the item information request and which is identified by the identification information included in the item information request and transmit the obtained item information as well as the identification information about the item and the user included in the item information request to the auction apparatus,   wherein the auction apparatus includes:   a reception unit configured to receive the selling request from the kept item management apparatus;   an item information obtaining unit configured to transmit the item information request including the identification information about the item and the identification information about the user included in the selling request to the kept item management apparatus when the reception unit receives the selling request, and obtain item information about an item identified by the identification information included in the selling request as a response to the item information request from the kept item management apparatus;   a selling information generation unit configured to generate selling information including information required in an auction for selling using item information obtained by the item information obtaining unit in response to the selling request; and   an auction execution unit configured to execute the auction using the generated selling information.